UK Foreign Secretary Condemns Murder of 7 ‘White Helmets’ Volunteers in Syria

UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson condemned on Monday the recently reported killing of seven volunteers of the “White Helmets” group in Syria’s western Idlib province.

On Saturday, media reported of the killing of the group of volunteers in Idlib’s town of Sarmin. The United States has already condemned the move.

“I am appalled by the targeted and heinous murders of heroic White Helmets volunteers who put their own safety at risk to save lives on all sides of the Syrian conflict,” Johnson said, as quoted by the UK governmental press service.

The UK official stated that the death of the organization’s volunteers was “a huge loss for their families, Syria and the world.”

The Syria Civil Defense volunteer organization, also known as “White Helmets” declares itself as a non-governmental organization aimed at protecting Syrian civilians, yet a number of videos made by the group emerged, revealing that rescue operations were staged with the “victims” wearing makeup and given instructions on what to say. The rescue workers were allegedly captured on tape carrying arms and dressed in military uniform.

In March, Syrian President Bashar Assad said that the group was affiliated with the al-Qaeda terrorist organization, outlawed in many countries including Russia.